General This is my car so far after some mod's

[Brae91]

Hey

I Got Around The Problem Above ^^^^ By Cutting The Bottom Of Bent Bit And Bolting It Straight, So Now I Will Just FiberGlass Over It To Join It Back Together

Jimbro Where Do You Race Your Car?

I Am Thinking Of Buying Another X1/9 Enigne And Do It Up A Little E.g Turbo 4 Branch Exhaust Lighter Flywheel Etc. As I Need My Car Running All The Time So I THink It Will Be Better If I Buy Another Engine And Tune That One Up. Do You Know Any Good Places Where I Can Get X1/9 Engine Stuff? What Would You Advise Me Buying?

I Will Still Put A Lancia 2.0 In Don't Worry But As I'm 17 I Need To Let My Insurance Drop Before I Stick It In.

Here's Some Pics!

 

[bludvl_x19]

Hi Brae, about how many hours has it taken you to get to this stage? Do you have any particular skills that are helpful to the process?

Cheers,

Michael

 

[jimbro1000]

Looks like you've solved it anyway but the original problem appears to be that the front wings have been pulled out of their original lines which is in turn squeezing the lower valance and twisting the ends.

Typically you would leave the bottom of the wings loose and bond the valance into place and then see about fixing it to something underneath instead of the other way around. Given your approach this wouldn't have worked so I believe you've done the right thing.

I typically race the car on the UK national and club circuits so the likes of Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Donnington, Oulton Park, Mallory Park, Cadwell Park, Castle Combe, Rockingham, etc.

Haven't raced this year or last year though, just trying to save money and get the car properly finished but it is an immense task. I know I've put 250bhp down against the car but that is an extremely pessimistic number - that is what I asked for from the engine builder, what I've got is another matter. The car needs to be strong in enough in all respects to handle the extra torque and that takes time and money.

As for where to get a good engine, we've pretty much stopped working with Fiat stuff for now, there just isn't enough money or customers to make it work except for seriously high end spec. The man you really want to talk to is Guy Croft for SOHC or DOHC (8v and 16v) engines. It isn't cheap but you really do get your money's worth.

 

[Brae91]

Hi Brae, about how many hours has it taken you to get to this stage? Do you have any particular skills that are helpful to the process?

Ermm Around 48 Hours I Have Done On the Bodykit To Get It To This Stage. I Have A NVQ Level 2 In Automotive And That It.....I Did Have Help From My Dad Who Is Into Cars Tho (Blue Herald) So If I can Do This I Think Any One Can Lol.

I Am On A Tight Budget And Still Havn't Brought The Wheels! Does Any One Know Where I Can Get Cheap Wheels Fro My Car? Steel Or Alloy I Don't Mind.....

I Brought My Kit Of CASC If Your Interested bludvl_x19 For £500

Yeah I Would LOVE! To Put In A Lancia Engine In It...But My Insurance Would Be To High For Me Too Insurance. And Me Being On A Tight Budget I Can't Really Afford Guy Croft

What Advise Would You Say To Do To A X1/9 Engine? I Was Thinking:
Uno Mk1 Turbo
4 Branch Exhuast
Lighter Flywheel
Increasse Jets Size On Weber By One Size (Eurosport....£3 A Jet )

What Would You Say?

Cheers!

 

[jimbro1000]

If you go with the turbo engine you don't need to mess with jets or a 4 branch exhaust. Problem is if you can't afford a conversion to a lancia twink then you can't afford the turbo conversion either. If anything the uno turbo conversion makes for a quicker car.

The problem you face with preparing any non-standard engine is that you get what you pay for. Saving some money on what seems to be a cheap engine normally ends up with a lot of added expense later on. If you haven't got the money now then you're better off saving until you do have it than spending £1000s on broken engines and rebuilds.

You can get away with some small mods - mild camshaft, induction and exhaust but you won't get any huge improvements until you sort the head out and you really need to get the bottom end lightened and balanced to do it all safely and you need to do it all at the same time.

A really good streetable engine is going to give you about 130bhp, anything more is exceptional or in race track only territory. That isn't to say it can't be done, just that the cost is prohibitive. The very best engines from the early 80s managed to squeeze a claimed 190bhp out of the engine but it took a custom 16v head to do it. Without a 16v head (or forced induction) you will be very, very lucky to see anything past 150bhp. The cost of a 16v head? In modern money it would be well into the thousands and more likely tens of thousands - it just isn't worth it. For similar money you can get 300bhp out of an uno turbo engine.

The gap between a mildly tuned engine and the top end spec is immense pricewise. If you do all the work yourself excluding specialist machining you can probably get the cost of 140bhp down to about £1000 but even that is optimistic. You need to be something of an expert in engine preparation too, a cobbled together approach doesn't tend to last long.

A friend of mine (James Bowen) has spent a lot of time going down this road with his car and he has achieved an awful lot but it is still quite a mild specification. Most of his efforts have gone into the chassis and suspension and that is what has made his car quick. It isn't such a bad approach either - the car is very reliable, still quite fuel efficient and enormous fun to drive.

My advice if you can't afford the engine upgrade (especially insurance wise) is to save and if you have to spend, put it towards keeping the car in tip-top condition and some trick suspension. Taking weight out of the car is a good way to improve performance too, you can still go mad on lightweight materials (beyond just the four wing panels) so some restraint is needed.

For about €1000 you can get a set of lightweight panels to complete the set you already have from Guy Moerenhout in Belgium. They are meant for Abarth Prototipo replicas but fit just as well on a Dallara replica.

 

[Brae91]

Hi All

So If I Just Put The Turbo From The Uno Mk1 Turbo On My X1/9 It Should Be Alot Faster?

I Know This Sounds Like A Noobie Question.....But What Does A UnModified X1/9 Sound Like? Mine Sounds Really Lumpy Like It Has A Uprated Cam In It? Is All X1/9's Sound Lumpy? My Car Has Been Set Up By The Hanyes Manuel.

Cheers

 

[jimbro1000]

Define lumpy? If you mean it doesn't idle smoothly then no it should not sound like that. It should be possible to achieve a relatively smooth idle at about 850rpm but some cars need a little bit more - anything above 1100rpm is excessive.

The distributor and carburettor are commonly at fault - the distributor as a result of not working consistently any more or the carburettor for being out of adjustment.

In comparison with a modern engine then it will sound a bit rough - the standard european spec cam profile is equivalent to a fast road profile for most cars of that period so yes it does sound a bit rough until it revs up.

As for an Uno Turbo engine making it go faster? I think that is a bit of a no brainer, 115bhp compared to 85bhp. Torque delivery is even more of an improvement and the low lag setup of the Mk 1 Uno Turbo means it just drives like a bigger engine instead of the all or nothing big turbo engines of the 70s

 

[Brae91]

If you want a model of what to do for the exhaust I suggest trying to find the specs for the original Abarth exhaust - I had one on my racecar and it was, simply put, absolutely brilliant. You can't get them anymore but copying one might be possible.

I Was Reading A Old Thread And Saw This. Can You Help Me Find A Website? Or Have You Got Any Information Or Advice You Can Give Me?

My Car Has Been Timed About 3 Weeks Ago. So The Timing Isn't Out.
I Define Lumpy As It Sounds Like It Has A High Lift Cam In It, But When You Get The Revs Up It Does Not Sound Lumpy. But It Wouldn't Anyway.....Uprated Cams Don't Sound Lumpy At High Revs Do There?

When I Mean The Uno Turbo....I Mean Just The TURBO Out Of The Uno Turbo.....So Keep The X1/9 Engine But Just Fit The Turbo Onto It.....Is It Worth It? I Seen The Turbo's Go Cheap Over The Web.

Cheers

 

[jimbro1000]

Didn't say the timing was out - just that worn distributors tend to let the timing wander a little especially at low revs.

Just slapping a turbo on the side of the engine is much more tricky than it sounds and you have to really limit the boost it creates as you don't have low enough static compression or turbo-safe pistons.

The biggest problem is a reliable oil feed to the turbo. The Uno Turbo engine has a feed tapped into the side of the block just above the oil pump giving it a consistent high pressure feed, it then drains straight back into the sump. It also has a water feed that you need to plumb in if you want the engine and turbo to last more than about 20 minutes of hard use. In order to get that working the way it should you need to use the plumbing and header tank from the Uno.

As for an Abarth exhaust system, I basically gave mine away to a fellow enthusiast a good many years ago to replace the one they already had - I didn't need it any more having adopted the turbo engine instead. I've no idea what became of it - those two systems were the only two I have ever come across in the UK. Whether or not they were properly measured or copied for later use I cannot say.

In terms of replacing one I think the closest you are likely to find is a FAZA system from the states but I don't know if those are even available any more. The next alternative is to have one made from scratch - the principles behind the Abarth system have become widely adopted in all exhaust design so it isn't really rocket science. Anyone with simulation software should be able to reproduce it and better it by tailoring it to your spec of engine.

 

[Brae91]

In order to get that working the way it should you need to use the plumbing and header tank from the Uno.

How Would I Mount These, And Are They Cheap?

So Me Sticking A Turbo On My Car Has Gone Down the Drain Then

I Have Looked For A Faza And A Abarth Systems On Google But Couldn't Find Anything Any Help?

Cheers

 

[jimbro1000]

If you have a donor Uno Turbo then you must have the header tank already, and the necessary plumbing. It isn't radically different but different enough to make a difference.

Mounting is not difficult, it fits in the same place as the original header.

 

[rachaeljf]

Something like this...

 

[Gofast]

Hi Brae,

Wicked thread, your car is gonna look mean when its done!! I'm also young and own a 1500 Gran Finale. Unfortunately being at uni means I aint got enough money to throw at the car to get the Dallara kit . My dad has done loads of work to the car and at the moment we've got a CSC exhaust and K&N air filter on it. I'm gonna get a fast road cam soon,uprate the braking system and change the suspension. I'm also de-bumpering the car at the moment as it has those stupid mantlepieces stuck on the front and back. I was just wondering what sort of money you spent to get this done to yours (the first lot of pics you posted is the look i'm going for) and can you offer any advice? Did you use a grille and front spoiler from a 1300 model??

Cheers

 

[Brae91]

Hey Duude

Cheers Matey I Thought The Same I Thought A CSC Cost Like £200? Or Is Yours Second Hand?

Tbh Matey You Don't Really Need to Change The Suspension, I've Heard They Are Really Good.....Unless You Get Koni Ones What Lower It By 40mm (Some Was On Ebay Not That Long Ago £40 They Went For)

I Want A Fast Road Cam Aswell Soo Tell Me If You Get Yours Cheap So I Can Buy One

:worship: I Will Be Putting A Lancia 2 Litre In It In 2 Years. Just Waiting For The Insurance To Go Down.

LMAO! That What I Told My Dad When I First Saw It Lol...When I De-Bumpered Mine I Just Kept The Front Spoiler/Valance. I Had No Grill On It As I Wasn't Driving Then, So It Got Parked Up On My Drive For About 2 Weeks Then Moved It Into The Garage And Did The Dallara Bodykit Conversion.

All You Have To Do Is Take Of The Bumpers And You Got That Look Lol. Plus You Are Getting Rid Of Weight So Better Power To Weight Ratio

Well I Brought The Car For £850
Dallara Kit £500 From CASC
£50 Fiberglass/Filler/Sandpaper/Tiger Seal (Basically Everything To Put The Kit On)

And Yeah I Can Give You Some Advice But I Prob Ent the Best One To Ask But I'll Try My Best To Help Ya

Do You Live In England? If Yes Where About?

Anything On the Abarth Exhaust?

Hopes This Helps.

 

[jimbro1000]

Looks like the guy behind Faza is ill and his website isn't particularly legible to start with. Al Consentino was always a little strange and has a definite axe to grind so his exhaust website may not have much about exhausts on it.

A CSC header might only be an approximation to the Abarth version but it seems to be the only one you can get these days...

 

[Brae91]

Hey All

Is A Cherry Bomb Exhasut Any Good?

 

[Brae91]

Hi All

after a couple of weeks rest i have started the project back up again

i am in need of some wheels badly now..

what would be the best size wheels to use?

13" 14" and what tyre size would you use? 225? 275?

Basically i need help choosing some wheels lol....as i don't want my wheels hitting the archs but don't want them not filling the arch up

Also what brakes upgrade can i use? could i use uno disk? etc....

Cheers Everyone for the help soo far :worship:

 

[Brae91]

....anyhelp?

 

[nigelr32]

I have a set of Revolution 5 spokes, (Not RFX, proper 5 spokes), never been fitted with tyres, in 8 and 10 inch widths. They're 15 inch diameter.
They're Fiat stud pattern, 98mm x 4. These wheels are probably 15 years old now, and are unused!!!

Offers anyone??

 

[jimbro1000]

So what are the offsets of these wheels?